Narrator
Narrator Description of the functionality of the narrator, where it speaks and how. Description The narrator functions as a way to provide contextual information to the player about the world, comment on his/her actions, and to help aid the atmosphere of the game. Dimensions * The narrator will generally speak at set triggers, and speak with a shortish line at each one. This can happen everywhere in the game. ** One narration line will only ever be heard 1 time in 1 playthrough. Functionality: * There are 3 kinds of narration triggers: * Environmental triggers ** Puzzle/Event triggers ** City Triggers * The environmental triggers lie in a certain part of the environment, on the timeline or in a puzzle environment. When a player hits this trigger, it will play the line that that trigger is set to play. ** The environmental triggers should have the option of being dependent on the bHeat, bPollution, bLifeCondition, and bUnrest values. *** This should be done so a trigger can be set to only play if one of these values is above a certain number. *** It can also be set to be independent of these values, so it plays regardless of what these values are. *** An example of an environmental trigger could be: “The polar bears were the first to fall.” * Puzzle/Event triggers function similarly as the environmental ones, but the trigger is not necessarily in the environment, but can happen when the player does a certain action, make a choice, etc. in a puzzle (Examples could include making a methane bubble explode, pushing a rock, saving the man, etc.) ** These triggers do not necessarily have to play in one playthrough, but only if the player does a specific thing. ** These triggers can be set up to play several of different lines depending on the outcome of a certain choice, for example. *** An example of an puzzle/event trigger could be: “Burning the gas made the cave collapse. The screams died out as well.” * City triggers are triggered when a choice is made in the city. ** Each unique choice has an accompanying narrator trigger. *** An example of a City trigger could be: “The citizens might complain about windmills, but they sure give energy.” * The line that is spoken in a trigger needs to be able able to change. At first, when a line is not present, just have a “Narrator Placeholder” as a placeholder whenever a trigger is triggered (sound is of own choosing). * When a line has started it should not be able to be stopped. ** That means that if a line is playing and a player walks over another trigger, the new one will not trigger. *** The trigger that didn't play like this will not trigger as "played" and can therefore still play if the player walks through it again. Sound: * At every trigger, one line of dialogue from the narrator is spoken. And only one. * The tone of the narration should be slow, dry-ish, placid, and follow the lonely tone of the game. The lines should be able to blend together well, even if there is a stretch of nothing in between. This means that they should follow the somewhat same voice, tone, etc. Additional information: * The narrator character is the player character’s descendant, who lives in the future (2115). Therefore the narrator knows the future in the game, but is not apparent about it. ** Knows some of the story of what happened before fx. with parents, but might not be entirely clued in on every detail. Explains the story as he/she knows it. ** Reminiscing about the past, and trying to understand how the world got to this situation. ** Will give backstory, reasoning, explanation etc. for the things that the player sees and does. Aesthetics * No aesthetics. Animation * No animation.